Windale is a suburb in New South Wales, 142 km from Sydney CBD, around 1 hour 55 minutes by car. Population is 3,421; the median age is 37 and the median household income is $40,300 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The suburb grew 1.9% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $186 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,478. Windale is characterised by high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. 2 schools sit within the suburb boundary, and walkability is moderate.
Is Windale a good suburb?
Windale scores a C (32/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, weaker on prices, safety, and community.
Mixed results
2 schools
Very walkable
Walkability 61/100 · 142.1 km · 116 min drive to Sydney
Above the state median
Median $773K · Less affordable than 76% of NSW
High crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 95/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 37 · 3,421 residents
Liveability Rating
32 / 100 · Ranked #1209 in NSWEach bar is Windale's rank among NSW suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
No flood data is published for New South Wales — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.
How do you rate the liveability in Windale?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
32 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataWindale's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $773,000, about 4% above where it sat a year earlier.
$772,778
15% below its 4 neighbours (median $908,000)
Based on 32 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 27 days — median across 9 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 5 sales $660K
- 3 bed 20 sales $787K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Windale are currently listed at around $778,000 on average. Based on 4 houses listed in the past six months.
$778K
4 houses listed in the last 6 months.
4 of the suburb's 1,321 dwellings (0.3%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Windale rent for around $610 a week on average, based on 3 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$610/wk
3 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
3 rentals advertised against an estimated 1,067 rented homes (0.3%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- All rentals
- $585/wk
- 14 bonds
- +49% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2306 (NSW publishes bonds by postcode, which can cover several suburbs). Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025110 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 27% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2306.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$610/week ($32,000 a year) on a $778,000 median
Based on a small sample (3 listings) — indicative only.
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Is Windale safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Windale sits in the high band, with 667 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 14% on the prior year.
667 offences
14.2% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202520 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 2 of them fatal
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Council Flood Studies
Lake Macquarie City Council has published 14 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
- North Creek (Warners Bay) Flood Risk Management Study and Plan, January 2026 2026
- Morans, Stockton, Mullards, Clacks, Melaleuca and Dora Creeks Flood Study - November 2025 2025
- Lake Macquarie City Flood Studies & Floodplain Risk Management Studies/Plans 2025
- North Creek Warners Bay Flood Study (Final Report) January 2025 2025
- Flood Studies for Eight Residual Lake Macquarie Waterway Tributary Catchments 2021
Schools
Two schools serve Windale, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 306 students across 2 schools (avg 153)
- • Sectors: 1 Catholic, 1 Government
- • ICSEA 793-847, median 820 (below the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Windale Public School (252 students)
Primary
Walkability
Windale is somewhat walkable on foot — at 61/100, a short cluster of errands work on foot but most trips still benefit from a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Windale.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 60.5 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 37.2 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 29.4 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 18.6 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Windale.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 36%
- Premises covered
- 1,682
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Lake Macquarie: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 10 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 2 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the suburb closely.
Windale is home to about 3,400 residents, with a median age of 37, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $40,000 a year, with unemployment at 14.2%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
3,421
Median Age
37
Median Household Income
$40,300/yr
Census Median Rent
$186/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,478/mo
Avg Household Size
2.3
Median Personal Income
$24,024/yr
Unemployment Rate
14.2%
Unoccupied Dwellings
6.2%
Total Dwellings
1,321
Owner-Occupier Rate
19.2%
Houses
74.7%
Rental Stress
24.0%
Mortgage Stress
44.0%
Work From Home
8.7%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
760 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 65 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 1,033 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 80.2%
- English Spoken at Home
- 84.0%
- Employment Rate
- 29.8%
- Completed Year 12
- 15.0%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
19 residents (0.6%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 3,192 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 294 people work here; 793 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.4 jobs per working resident. At least 60% of employed residents must work outside the suburb.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,708 a year through Lake Macquarie based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 65%
- Parks and recreation 16%
- Infrastructure and transport 8%
- Industrial 6%
- Environmental 3%
- Rural and farming 1%
- Zones under 1% 1%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Lake Macquarie
In the year to August 2026, 1,212 new dwellings were approved across Lake Macquarie. That mix is 846 houses and 366 units. Approvals are up 1.6% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Bahtabah Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Local Aboriginal Land Councils are statutory bodies under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, responsible for land claims and land management for their members. Their boundaries are administrative and are not a statement of whose Country this is. NSW does not publish a register of Aboriginal parties by area — they are registered for each project.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 6.5 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 3 days exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 21.7 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.64 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 8 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 1.
From the Newcastle monitoring station, 10.0 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Newcastle Nobbys Signal Station AWS, 13.7 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 37 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 4.1 km
- 4.4 km to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 1,025 mm
- 91 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 25.4°C
- 4 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 10.2°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
EV adoption
In postcode 2306, 0 of 1,763 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.8% (32 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.8%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2306, 215 rooftop-solar systems totalling 1.3 MW have been installed since 2001, against 1,404 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 15 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$10,000 for new homes priced up to $600,000.
Off-the-plan or contracted-build value cap is $750,000 (vs $600,000 for completed new homes). Stamp duty concessions are a separate scheme (First Home Buyers Assistance).
Mortgage repayments
Transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with Revenue NSW
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $600,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with Revenue NSW.
At $772,778 this is $172,778 above the $600,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $10,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with Revenue NSW.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Pat Conroy Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Pat Conroy | 61.5% | 38.5% | +5.5 |
| 2022 | Pat Conroy | 55.8% | 44.2% | -1.4 |
| 2019 | Pat Conroy | 54.5% | 45.5% | +5.5 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Jodie Harrison Labor
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Jodie Harrison ALP | 71.1% |
| 2019 | Jodie Harrison ALP | 62.4% |
| 2015 | Jodie Harrison ALP | 62.9% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.
Looking at a specific address in Windale?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 3,421 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Featured in
Nearby suburbs
Compare Windale to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Windale
Is Windale a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Windale is high (95/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Windale?
Windale has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Windale a good place to live?
Windale has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (32/100), ranked against other NSW suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Windale?
Windale, NSW had a population of 3,421 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Windale, NSW?
The postcode for Windale, NSW is 2306.
How far is Windale from Sydney?
Windale is 142 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 116 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Windale?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Windale was $40,300 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Windale?
The median advertised rent in Windale is $610 a week for houses (3 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Windale?
The median age of residents in Windale was 37 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Windale?
There are 2 schools inside the Windale boundary: 2 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Windale walkable?
Windale scores 61/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it somewhat walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the air quality in Windale?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Windale (Newcastle) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.5 µg/m³ and PM10 of 21.7 µg/m³. That puts Windale below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Windale?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Windale, Newcastle Nobbys Signal Station AWS (13.7 km away), summer days average 25.4°C, winter nights 10.2°C, 1,025 mm of rain a year over 91 rainy days, and 4 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Windale?
First-home buyers in NSW may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $600,000. The grant is administered by Revenue NSW; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Windale belong to?
Windale sits within the Lake Macquarie local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Windale?
The average residential rates bill through Lake Macquarie is $1,708 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Windale?
Across Lake Macquarie, 1,212 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 1.6% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Windale in?
Windale sits within the federal Division of Shortland, currently held by Pat Conroy (Australian Labor Party).
Search another suburb or address
Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2023
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
Was the information on this page useful to you?
Thanks! Anything we could improve?
We hate spam as much as you do — we'll never use your email for marketing, and we might not be able to reply to everyone.
Thanks for your feedback! 🙏
Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.